Romney says he's 'not concerned about the very poor'

By Emily Schultheis

02/01/12 11:24 AM EST

Mitt Romney said on CNN this morning that his focus is on middle-class America and he's "not concerned about the very poor," per POLITICO's Mackenzie Weinger:

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor — we have a safety net there,” he said Wednesday. “If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich — they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling.”

[CNN's Soledad] O’Brien jumped in, asking him to clarify his statement that he’s not concerned with the very poor. “I think there are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say, ‘That sounds odd,’” she said.

“Well, you had to finish the sentence, Soledad,” Romney replied. “I said, I’m not concerned about the very poor that have a safety net, but if it has holes in it, then I will repair it.”

“But my campaign is focused on middle-income Americans,” he added. “My campaign — you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That’s not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That’s not my focus.”

The full context of the quote here explains what Romney meant to say, but this is still probably not the headline the Romney campaign wanted the morning after his big Florida victory.